The present application is directed to monitoring eye movements to detect neurological disease. In particular, the present application is directed to analyzing microsaccades for detecting neurological disorder or neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's Disease and mild cognitive impairment.
Alzheimer's Disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia, accounting for 50 to 70 percent of dementia cases. Memory loss and cognitive impairment are mild in the early stages of AD, but as the disease progresses patients lose fundamental cognitive capacities, including the ability to carry out a conversation and respond to their environment. Thus, there is a strong need for simple non-invasive measures of disease progression and therapeutic response. Early diagnostic tools are especially needed, as people with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) are at higher risk for developing AD than normal elderly individuals.